When I took my car in to the dealership for an oil service back in January, I told the rep to check out my power steering because I was hearing the infamous whinny noise coming from it. He ended up telling me that there was a leak in the power steering hose, and when I asked him where the leak was coming from (if there was a tear in the hose somewhere or if the leak was coming from the seal), he said, "I'm not sure, but the technician said it was leaking." I told them to just fill it up to where it needed to be filled, and I'd keep an eye on it. I've been checking it ever since, and the level stays the same, which sounds to me like there is no leak. I never see any spots on the ground under my car where a leak occurs either. I've searched the forums and found people talking about replacing the reservoir because the filter inside it will make noise when clogged. I know that the M3 having a high pressure power steering hose entitles it to making a little more noise than the standard hose, but I know it's making an abnormal amount. It gets louder with the rpm increase, and it gets pretty bad when turning the wheels. Does anyone have any ideas what the problem could be? I don't want to replace the hose if I don't have to, but I also don't want to replace the hose and continue to hear the same noise. Thanks for any help.

You sure its the power steering? The differential makes a similar noise during low speed turns, like a U-turn if it does not have the correct fluid with FM booster. I thought it was my power steering also, but I could hear it from the rear. Got the fluid in there and problem solved.

I did this when my power steering was making whinning noise. It seems to help, but alittle whinning is still there. I'm pretty sure my power steerig pump is going. I'll prob replace it when the weather gets warmer.

- ALL BMWs eventually get weeping power steering hoses. It's tradition. The leak never gets all that bad, but it can make a bit of mess.

- If the filter clogs (in the bottom of the fluid reservior) - the system will get noisy since the pump doesn't like trying to pull against a plugged filter

The time to fix the leak is also a good time to replace the reservoir (about $40/part) - since you have to disconnect it anyway, and drain the system. It's actually quite rare for the power steering pump to go bad.

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